Major Historic Dates for 2012

[lml698]

For what it is worth I also concur with Claire. having sat trying to organise dates for a leading race organiser it is very frustrating. It is also senseless that everyone barters about tring to get dates for different types of series and we then end up with gaps and clashes in the final diary of each series and type of racing.
I failed some years ago to promote the idea of getting the dozen or so main race organisers togehter with the circuit owners for a "Dates fair" where everyone could get the diary settled on one day. This could be done over 2 W/E's with the professional series on one W/E ( F1, BTCC, F2 etc. ) and amateur the next.
The problem is that circuit owners like the way it is now as they can play their cards how they like and mess about knowing they can always pull in a lower ranked series if they get a gap. Almost all tracks have a fixed day rate deal so it doesn't bother them who comes and if they clash with another track. The other problem is that they only issue contracts in about Jan/Feb so they can play the race organisers for fools for about 4 months leading upto that. Problem is if you don't like it .......well you can guess !!!
It won't change until the circuits have a shortage of organisers wanting to hire their tracks. at that point the whole game changes. At the moment they have the opposite problem. The other problem is that they make as much money hiring out for corporate days so if they don't get race meetings there always have been plenty of Companies to fill up an easy pay day for the track and for less hassle.

Actually from a drivers point of view the best would be if we simplified the whole process and cut the middle man out.
At the moment we have

1. Circuit owner (gets the revenue)
2. Race meeting organiser (takes a cut)
3. Series organiser ( sometimes) (takes a cut)
4. Driver (Pays for it all !!!)

One reason Castle Combe has low entry fees is that they have no 2 and 3. Sadly most circuits in the UK are too lazy to do 2/ 3 as its easier to let someone else do it and we pay. The car clubs could still work witht he tracks to help get entries and still reduce costs to the drivers/ entrants.

Anyone else want the soapbox

[simon drabble]

Having experienced Castle Combe FF series for my son I agree - costs are kept down and it all seems to work welll. It makes you wonder why competitors allow themselves to have their trousers taken down as much as they do by many of teh commercial organizers.
Next year I think UK club meetings will be much more price driven than before and there will be casulaties as a result. Ultimately a good thing for competitors and organizers who can last as a hard core of demand and a clearing level of pricing will emerge which will then allow all to plan the future more accurately.

[Alan Cox]

14-16 September 2012 - Circuit des Remparts, Angouleme
14-16 September 2012 - 6eme Week-End de l’Excellence de Reims
14-16 September 2012 - Goodwood Revival

Brilliant planning, or what?

[MartinSmith]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

.........Next year I think UK club meetings will be much more price driven than before and there will be casulaties as a result. Ultimately a good thing for competitors and organizers who can last as a hard core of demand and a clearing level of pricing will emerge which will then allow all to plan the future more accurately.

Mmmm be careful what you wish for....

I agree that pricing will play a key role in next years events, but I do worry that with the likes of certain track owners heading in what can only be described as "The TESCO" approach, you will reap the benefits now.....but, will you have any choice later? Take out the middle man and you will do away with added costs?...yes...but...only until the Circuits then realise that they have a monopoly....Castle Combe works well because its a single circuit and in that sense then yes it does seem to work well....but would it be that good if they were all owned by the same group?..(AND I AM NOT INCLUDING CASTLE COMBE IN THIS NEXT BIT)..Ryan Air springs to mind and imagine how you would feel if suddenly....you were charged extra for your trailer?. "Sorry but you are only allowed one piece of hand lugage in the Pit Garage"...Im not saying it will happen...but it could and thinking about it surely if I were a circuit owner and I can get as much money for a track day as I can for a race day...I know commercially what im gonna put on...so...as I say...be careful what you wish for.

In respect of the timings and clashes, most know on here that I have LONG LONG LONG championed for ALL of the HISTORIC organisors to get together so as not to clash, it seems to me rather stupid that we are in a sport that is contracting in one respect yet Historics is getting larger and we as organisors still want to fight each other over dates?...WHY? "ohh its a free country and competition is good"...no...what good is it doing us all? or indeed the competitor? clashes are no good for anyone

This soapbox is getting well worn aint it!

[simon drabble]

Claire you speak a lot of common sense - sadly these days common sense is not considered a good thing, if it was we would not be in the mess we are in!!!

[zefarelly]

If we all followed common sense there'd be no thread as none of us would be burning our hard earnt whizzing round in circles in old bangers.

[MGDavid]

MSA News today confirms GP as 6th-8th July so presumably other things can start to fall into place calendar-wise...

[MGDavid]

... and FoS is provisionally 29th June - 1st July.

[rogerwills]

The Goodwood Revival is provisionally scheduled for the weekend of 14-16 September 2012.

[grantp]

Erm ....

If I have remembered all of the dates reasonably correctly ....

5-6 May Period

360 at Snetterton
Donington Historic Festival Meeting
Pau Historique

12-13th May Period

Monaco Historique




Now those are just some events that I have on my radar for next year. No doubt the rest of my list will all pile into the same dates and then fill the rest of May with dribs and drabs. I guess anyione doing Pau will, assuming they survive, head on to Monaco. Or maybe Pau will be less popular with any classes also at Monaco - if there are any that cover both.

Iirc the Pau Modern weekend had French classic F3 this year. It ran the week after the Historique - which if repeated would be the same weekend and Monaco. Might be good for anyone not getting an entry for Monaco I suppose ...

I noted in passing that there seems to be a similar crush in September.

It's going to be interesting to see how all of that works out.

[Colin McKay]

No dates yet, but it seems as if the E-type Challenge (or something in similar vein) will continue for at least 2 more years. We are promised more info soon. Once Iain's dried out after Portimao we'd better get stuck in to the rebuild.